


Your Baby's First Year

by GoodbyeBabylon



Series: Your Baby Is ... [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Kid Fic, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:27:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29766534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoodbyeBabylon/pseuds/GoodbyeBabylon
Summary: “You really did it,” Severus asked, eyebrows lifting incredulously at Remus, who was grinning.“I did. The Muggles have it down; in and out in about thirty minutes.”Rowan let out a burble of a squealing cry, turning her face into Severus’s chest fussily and reminding him of the bottle in the kitchen. He jostled her up and down, lips pursing tightly.
Relationships: Minerva McGonagall/Poppy Pomfrey, Remus Lupin/Severus Snape
Series: Your Baby Is ... [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1953559
Comments: 7
Kudos: 19





	Your Baby's First Year

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I know. I'm late. Like a month late. I know, I know, I know. I'm sorry? IN MY DEFENSE, got wrapped up writing 100k+ words of essentially a death fic, so *that* was fun. Everything got pushed back on that story, which impacted this story, sooooo here we are. Late. 
> 
> That being said, this is soft, because I *need* soft. Just some domestic mostly-bliss between these two while Rowan goes through her first year of life.

“You really did it,” Severus asked, eyebrows lifting incredulously at Remus, who was grinning.

“I did. The Muggles have it down; in and out in about thirty minutes.”

He wanted to make a quip about the Weasleys, but Rowan let out a burble of a squealing cry. She turned her face into Severus’s chest fussily, shrilly reminding him of the bottle in the kitchen. He jostled her up and down, lips pursing sourly as he soothed her while glowering at the werewolf uncertainly.

“You’re joking,” he said it sharply, even as Remus stepped closer, bracketing Rowan against his chest by placing hands on Severus’s hips in a stance that could be taken as a bit possessive. The werewolf leaned forward, burying his face in the long column of Severus’s neck, mouthing at the sensitive skin there.

“I’m not joking, Severus. Honestly, it’s like you thought if given the choice between shooting blanks or staying with you, I’d pick being able to father more kids.”

Drawing in a sharp breath, Severus pulled away, his hand cupping the feathery soft back of Rowan’s head as he looked away. In some sense, he _had_ expected Remus to pick the alternative when told he had to be neutered to stay in their lives. It was a novel, uncertain feeling being made a priority for once in his life, after being little more than a tool for war for most of it. Huffing out a sigh, he made his way back into the kitchen, watching as the bottle heated on the cooktop.

Arms wrapped around his waist again, Remus’s chest pressing against his back hotly, their skins separated by the thin fabric of the lycanthrope’s shirt. “Severus,” Remus started in softly, pressing his face against the line of Severus’s throat. He closed his eyes against that muffled, heated thrum of devotion against his thoughts.

Swallowing roughly, Severus kept his attention on the baby in his arms, jostling her softly to soothe her, even as she lolled against his chest tiredly, her tiny fingers curling against his skin. He hated the idea of waking her up for her afternoon feeding. “Lupin,” he bit out, as though he could wrap himself and Rowan up in whatever lingering bitterness that remained.

“I thought we agreed on Remus,” the werewolf muttered wryly, sighing against Severus’s skin.

Remus let the darker man pull away from him, watching as Severus lifted the bottle and did a seemingly complicated maneuver to get Ro into place. Her cheek pressed against his bare chest as she opened her mouth greedily, suckling at the bottle’s nipple while Severus slowly danced – if one could call the muted rocking motion that – her around the small kitchen. The domesticity of it barbed in Remus’s chest, hooking between the slats of his ribs and wrenching pitifully. He could just make out the soft hum crooning from low in the other man’s throat, his hips swaying to that made up tune. Remus glimpsed the still angry-red of Severus’s newest scar, the one pulling from well above the navel to his waistband, as the darker man moved. It was a sickening thought to know he’d almost lost moments like that. Where Severus’s spiny barbs laid mostly flat against his skin, offering him up as something softer.

Severus swayed his way out of the kitchen, folding himself into the corner of the sofa, and Remus turned to follow. The black and grey afghan, something he was _certain_ Minerva had knitted, had found its way from the bedroom into the sitting room. It formed a nest there at the arm of the sofa where the darker man folded it around himself, nestling back into the crook as he balanced Rowan against his legs, balancing his forearm on his knees as he held the bottle aloft with spindly fingers.

He peered over the darker man’s shoulder and smiled at the baby’s milk-drunk expression, her dark eyes squinting and blinking blearily as she nursed lazily. Remus made a silly face at her as Severus twisted to tuck the bottle in between his hip and the sofa.

“I’d rather you not loom,” Severus told the other man sharply as he swiped his thumb against Rowan’s bottom lip and collected the dribbled-out milk there. He rubbed it on the thick sleep pants before supporting her where she balanced against his knees and patting her back until she burped.

“Not looming,” the werewolf grumbled, fairly close to pouting as he threw himself down on the other end of the couch, twisting to pull his feet up on the couch and stare at Severus. He merely lifted a brow at Remus as the lighter man shifted until their feet touched.

“Would you prefer I call it sulking.” He glanced upward, just in time to catch Remus sticking his tongue out at him childishly. “How charming your father is,” Severus muttered drolly to Rowan. “A _proper_ adult.” The baby burbled up at him, her tiny hands knotting stickily in the afghan. His nose wrinkled at the implication, even as his lips twisted into an almost smile.

_Click. Whirr._

Glancing upward once more, Severus glowered at the lycanthrope – who managed to look _almost_ innocent, hands folded demurely in his lap. Almost . . . if not for the poorly hidden smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. And that twinkle of amusement in his eyes, which was one he’d surely learned from Albus. Internally, Severus groaned as he barely refrained from rolling his eyes.

“Did you just take a picture,” Severus deadpanned, any almost smile withering at the edges of his mouth as he glared at the lighter man. And Lupin _at least_ had the decency to look nearly ashamed, holding out a snapshot to him. Severus took the slowly developing picture, watching as his sharp features softened into an almost smile, as Ro clenched her fingers and wiggled. His shoulders had softened, the bones of his chest casting shadows along his skin as he leant in toward the baby.

“Minerva said we needed to take lots of them. That we’ll miss these days,” Remus muttered, trying desperately hard _not_ to think about the pile of photos, both Wizarding and Muggle, that would be going into a book at the end of the year. Not that Severus was prone to using _legilimens_ without good reason. Although, Severus was fairly suspicious, so _good reason_ tended to be a rather vague concept.

Severus bundled Ro against his chest, leaning back against the sofa arm and regarding Remus quietly. “Meddlesome Gryffindors,” he grumbled softly, as the downy head of their child nestled into the crook of his neck. The baby’s slobber-sticky fingers curled against his chest as Rowan burbled happily against his throat. “So, what about pictures of you and Rowan?”

Remus blinked stupidly at Severus, watching as those long, narrow fingers drew languidly up and down Ro’s back. “Me and Rowan,” he parroted. The darker man shifted on the sofa, long arms folding around Rowan’s frame before narrow fingers curled around the baby’s fragile ribcage and lifted her up.

“Yes. You and Rowan.” The darker man passed the baby over to Remus, her dark eyes blinking up at him curiously. She made a happy sound at him, a mixture between a burble and a yip as he reached for her. He let his fingers curl around Rowan’s diapered bum, accepting her weight from Severus. “You are her father, are you not,” Severus continued, leaning forward further to reach around Remus and pluck the camera from near the werewolf’s hip, where it was tucked in between the sofa and his torso. The darker man leaned back against the sofa arm and brought the camera up to his face. “Shouldn’t there be pictures of you and Rowan as well?”

_Click. Whirr._ Remus blinked dumbly as Severus snapped a picture.

“I . . . I suppose so,” he offered up, turning Ro around to peer at him, taking care to support her head. Her sleepy, spilt-ink eyes peered at him. She gurgled happily at him, her tiny fingers curling tightly into fists as her arms wobbled a bit.

“Well, don’t act as though she’ll bite you,” the darker man teased, leaning forward until his elbows rested on his knees and balanced his hands upward, the camera dangling between his fingers.

“Like daughter like father if she did,” Remus murmured softly as he balanced Ro on his knees, her chubby baby feet kicking before her legs curled in toward her tummy with a gurgle as he balanced her weight on his legs. Ro’s fingers opened and clenched briefly before curling back into fists.

“I’m going to ignore that,” the darker man told him drolly.

_Click. Whirr._

_“_ Stop taking pictures,” Remus lamented even as he pulled Rowan in closer to his chest and glowered at Severus. The darker man shot him an almost-smile, thin lips twisting into place.

“Why should you just take photos of me and Ro,” Severus scoffed out, cradling the camera to his chest as a dark eyebrow lifted curiously. And Remus hated how right the other was, because he hadn’t even given that any thought, too wrapped up in the softness Ro managed to drag out of the darker man. He scowled at Severus briefly before tilting forward to press his forehead against Rowan’s.

_Click. Whirr._

The camera thumped down on the sofa between them as Severus climbed out of his nest.

“Can you manage her while I take a nap? Bloody exhausted,” he grumbled, pressing his fingers to his eyelids and rubbing outward. Severus looked down at Remus expectantly – because, as it was the werewolf got to sleep through the night.

“I _told_ you to wake me up for the early feedings,” the lighter man insisted, tone drifting upward toward a whine.

“Wake you up,” Severus deadpanned. “I don’t feel I should have to when there’s a crying baby literally less than a meter away from the bed.” Which earned him grumbled out, almost words as the lycanthrope bundled Ro in closer to his chest. “Can you manage her or not.”

“Yes, all right.”

_Thank Circe_. He tipped down and pressed his forehead against Ro’s soft, dark head. She made a cooing noise, leaning against him as her fingers grabbed at his hair before he pulled away. If she caught him, he’d never get a nap in. Severus’s fingers touched Remus’s hair briefly as he left the living room. In the bedroom, he climbed into bed and pressed his face to the pillows – dead to the world in moments.

Remus folded his knees up and balanced Ro there. He drew his fingertip along her nose, smiling as she lifted a hand and grabbed at his fingers. “You’re a love, hmm,” he muttered, moving so she could grip his finger tightly. Tipping forward, Remus pressed his forehead to her chest, smiling as her other hand gripped his hair.

He leant back against the sofa, gently working her fingers free and earning him a sharp cry before Rowan settled, blinking up at him with those sloe eyes. Remus could see Severus there, in those eyes, and he gently pinched her chubby cheek. He pulled a funny face at her, nose wrinkling up as he folded his lips into a crinkly shape.

“D’you remember what I told you? When you were in your da’s tum?” He poked her softly in the belly, touching her above her bellybutton and making her giggle – or what he assumed counted for a giggle. She hadn’t quite worked out that kind of sound yet. But it was definitely a happy sound. “I asked you for a chance,” Remus finally muttered, thinking about that moment where he’d bent over Sev’s swollen belly and felt the baby kick for the first time. He still remembered, still _felt_ the stirring of protectiveness about the life created from the two of them that yanked at him sharply. Cupping his fingers around her diaper, he smoothed his thumbs along the soft rolls of Rowan’s thighs. “So, thank you.”

She burbled happily at him, making grabby hands in his direction.

“Shall we,” and he paused because what did one _do_ with a one-month-old? “Play This Little Piggy,” Remus asked her, bringing his hands down to tug at her tiny little toes with a playful growl. “This little piggy,” he started before remembering just how the rhyme went, blanching slightly. “Or not. I’m just gonna get these feeties,” he crooned, grabbing Rowan’s chubby feet and dipping to mouth at her chunky toes. Remus pinched softly up her chubby legs, his mouth following carefully with his teeth tucked behind his lips. Finally, he wiggled his fingers into her ribs as Rowan squirmed on his lap with a happy squeal. Remus pulled back and curled his fingers around Ro’s tiny hands, bringing her palms together lightly. He clapped her palms together, then brought them to his cheeks. Remus turned to press smacking kisses to her palms with a grumble of a growl. Of course, there was only so long that Remus could keep himself occupied with feet and hands, before eventually he just bundled Ro against his chest for modified tummy time. He smoothed his hand along her back to cup her bum as his head tipped back on his neck and Remus listened for any signs of movement from the bedroom.

Rowan snuffled lightly against his neck, her tiny fingers curling in his shirt sharply. And Remus listened to the heavy ticking of the clock in the corner, letting his attention drift. He hummed low in his chest for her, creating an almost song as he drew his fingers up and down along Ro’s spine. His gaze traced designs in the stone ceiling, trying to keep track of time’s passing. In the end, Remus just rolled off the sofa, keeping Rowan tight against his chest. “Let’s go check on your da, yeah,” he murmured to the baby as he started for the bedroom.

Severus was wadded up in the bedclothes, his legs up under him and his face pressed into the pillows. The duvet was haphazardly dragged across his hips, leaving his long back bare. Remus leaned against the doorway, unable to keep the smile in as he supported Ro’s head and neck. His thumb rubbed through the downy hair just behind her ear. He _wanted_ to lay Rowan down on her back in her crib and climb into bed with the darker man. But Severus had asked for a nap, presumably without Remus pawing at him, so the notion of joining Sev in bed was out. He huffed out a sigh and turned away.

“Let’s go see what the kitchen elves are willing to part with.”

An indeterminate time later, Severus crawled out of bed with a groan. He ran a hand through his hair, wincing as his fingers caught in tangles. Huffing out a sigh, he made his way into the sitting room, where the lycanthrope was sprawled out on the sofa with Ro on his chest. He glanced toward the clock and groaned once more as he noted the time; he'd slept through dinner.

“Do you want me to heat something up,” he asked softly, and Remus lifted his head up as best he could without disturbing their child.

“Nah, it’s fine. We went to the Kitchens while you were out; the elves love Ro, unsurprisingly,” the lighter man chuckled. “There’s some soup in there for you.”

Severus found his way into the kitchenette to put the kettle on. He turned on the burner for Rowan’s bottle as an afterthought. He peeled back the lid of the container presumably holding soup. Severus wrinkled his nose at the gelatinous blob of red and various vegetables before he replaced the lid, reaching for the jar of oolong pearls.

“You should eat something,” Remus muttered from the doorway as he watched the darker man shake some pearls into his mug. He jostled Rowan up and down gingerly as he prowled closer. Severus’s hair was a mess the closer he drew to the other, having been finger combed. He tugged lightly at the snarls, working them free as he leaned against the countertop next to Sev.

“Hmm,” he breathed out noncommittally as he put Rowan’s bottle on and shifted out of the werewolf’s range of motion.

Remus balanced Rowan on the countertop, his thumbs and forefingers supporting her head as his other digits splayed along her back. “Well, you should,” he grumbled. Ro burbled in what he considered to be agreement, as he leaned in closer and crooned at the baby. “Yes love, tell your da. He needs to eat more, doesn’t he.” Which earned him a snort from the darker man.

“I’ll have you know I eat plenty.”

“You do remember that I _live_ here right?”

Severus scoffed once more, pouring the steaming water over his tea. He watched the pearls spiral around in his mug, slowly unfurling as they steeped. “I _eat_ ,” he stressed, rolling his eyes at the insufferable werewolf. Severus pulled a spoon from the silverware drawer, swirling the tea and encouraging the leaves to further spread.

“Right, of course you do.” Remus pulled Rowan to his chest and turned his back to the counter, resting against the edge. “So, what are you going to tell Poppy when you see her next? When she checks on Ro, and you obviously.”

He paused because Severus really hadn’t thought of that before he continued fishing the tea leaves out of his mug. “She won’t even notice.”

Which was decidedly _not_ Poppy’s reaction a handful of days later – as Severus suffered through Remus’s _I told you so_ look and Poppy gestured aggressively at him. “I _thought_ you were going to try and eat more,” the mediwitch stressed, circling Severus. She pulled at his arms, prodded his ribs.

He could just make out Minerva folding her arms around Rowan – the baby effectively forgotten by Poppy – as she settled on the low couch in the mediwitch’s office. Remus plopped down next to her, fingers rotating the emergency bottle aimlessly in his hands. “I told him that, Pop. Doesn’t listen to me, you know.”

“Listening’s not one of his strong suits,” Minerva muttered, dipping her head to breathe against Ro’s dark hair. Her eyes glittered playfully as Severus glared over at her.

“I _can_ hear you, you know,” the darker man grumbled, and Remus tilted his head downward to hide the smile crawling its way across his lips. “Sodding Gryffindors. How do you do it, Poppy. They’re _insufferable_.”

Remus glanced upward, smile in full bloom, just in time to catch Severus’s dark eyes rolling heavenward. “I’m insufferable,” he quipped. “Should see this one in the morning. I’m not the one with the attitude like a wet cat with only one life left.” Minerva snorted to his left, taking up rocking Rowan slowly.

Huffing a sigh, Poppy stopped and crossed her arms over her chest, giving Severus her best glare. “The next time I see that little love over there, you had better have gained a stone.” She waggled her finger at him in an approximation of sternness, knowing that Severus would do as Severus wanted regardless. “Or I’ll be forced to tell Albus.”

“A stone,” he spluttered out, and she was hard pressed not to smile. “And just how do you propose I do that.”

“Starches. Red meat. Milk.” Poppy dug her fingers into his ribs roughly once more. “And there are always those Muggle concoctions – the protein shakes.”

“No,” the younger man said sharply. “Once was enough with those. Right nasty things.”

Poppy smiled, her fingers curling sharply along his chin and tugging it down so those dark eyes were forced to meet hers. “I don’t care what you do Severus, just do it. I haven’t spent this long keeping your skinny arse alive just for you to starve yourself to death.”

Minerva let out a howl of laughter at that, collapsing back against the sofa as she laughed. Rowan let out a squall of distress, her face bunched and pink – effectively pulling Poppy’s attention to her.

“Oh dear, you poor love,” she muttered as she collected Ro from the other woman, jostling the screaming baby and uttering nonsensical noises of comfort. Tiny fists clutched at Poppy’s shirt as she walked Rowan around the office.

Severus folded himself down on the sofa next to Remus, deliberately overlooking the werewolf’s personal space as his knees pressed firmly to Remus’s thigh. A large hand dropped to his knee and squeezed as contentedness rubbed along the back of his skull.

“Thought you said she wouldn’t notice,” the lycanthrope muttered lowly.

“She practically didn’t.”

From the other side of Remus, Minerva snorted and leaned in. “Sad but true. If she was more worried, Poppy would’ve already confined him to bed and taken to spoon-feeding him cake.” And Severus hummed in agreement, as he watched the mediwitch make laps about the office, jostling Ro gingerly.

Remus huffed out an amused breath and let his body rest against Severus’s, feeling the sharp jut of the darker man’s shoulder where it bore into his. He let himself relax into that contact, feeling the contentment of it liquefy his bones. He wanted to let his head loll, come to rest against Severus’s shoulder, to breathe the scent of him in – but they were in a somewhat public setting and the darker man would never welcome such advances. So, Remus let himself be mollified with the touch of their shoulders, the press of their legs.

Poppy had situated Rowan on her desktop, pulled apart her onesie to look the baby over. “Well clearly her hearing is at least decent.” She drew a fingertip along a chubby cheek. “And she seems to be reacting well to the light.”

He shifted forward just slightly to catch better sight of Ro, of her tiny hands curling into tight fists as she squirmed on the desktop, her tiny feet kicking just barely.

“ _She_ seems quite capable of gaining weight,” the mediwitch gritted out, shooting Severus a look. Who merely shrugged and settled further against Remus, as though more than content to let him hold the darker man up. Remus squeezed at a sharp knee again. “How’s her sleep.”

“Better than mine,” Severus replied drolly. “Not as good as Remus’s.” Which earned him a snort from Minerva and a rather pointed look from the lycanthrope.

“I _told_ you to wake me up for those midnight feedings.”

“Oh, ignore him,” Minerva cut in. “You probably wouldn’t be perfect at it.”

Severus glared at her. “I don’t feel it takes higher brain function to operate a bottle.” Three pairs of eyes turned on him pointedly, and Severus flopped back against the sofa with a huff. He crossed his arms over his chest defensively. “I’m not _that_ bad.” But thankfully, none of the other adults chose to call him on his lie, as Poppy turned her attention back toward Rowan.

“Her umbilical cord looks like it’s healed up nicely. You can give her a real bath now, you know,” Poppy intoned, her tone lilting upward in her excitement. “Oh, you’re just a doll,” she breathed out, tipping down to pretend to eat Rowan’s tummy. Rowan’s tiny pink feet kicked as she burbled out a happy sound, squirming on the desktop.

“I’m sure this goes without saying,” Minerva started in, leaning around Remus to give Severus a look. “But in case you need verbal affirmation, we’d clearly be happy to watch the little doll whenever needed. Poppy’s practically in love as it is.”

“Oh! Is that a smile,” Poppy crooned from the desk, leaning down to gingerly tickle at Ro’s ribs.

“Be careful, she likes to smile when,” Severus started, only for Poppy to abruptly straighten with a grimace. He cleared his throat and tried to keep the smile tucked away. “When she makes a more _solid_ movement.”

Again, Minerva howled with laughter as Poppy discreetly cast _scourgify_ and righted Rowan’s onesie, bundling the baby to her chest before crossing the office. “Minerva’s right, of course,” Poppy started in as though the unfortunate accident hadn’t happened. “We’d love to watch her whenever. I assume I’ll be watching her during the school term anyway.”

Severus scoffed. “Unless you’d rather I leave her with a house elf.” Which earned him a rather rude hand gesture from the mediwitch after she had handed Rowan back over to him. Severus folded his arms around Ro, giving Poppy a look as he pulled the baby against his chest.

“Well, if you’re going to be tetchy about it,” Poppy huffed as her arms crossed defensively over her chest, but Remus could hear the teasing edge of her tone clearly. Could see it in the way the corners of her mouth twitched upward before being smoothed down.

“What _isn’t_ he tetchy about,” Minerva teased, leaning forward enough to give Severus a look. Which had Severus mockingly spluttering, a scandalized look pulling across his face as he looked between the two older women. And not for the first time did Remus wonder exactly at the bond the three of them shared, forged out of all sorts of secrets and lies strewn between them.

“And on that note,” Remus started, getting to his feet and leaning down to curl his fingers around Severus’s elbow. “We’re going to go before you two start hexing one another.” Severus scoffed and huffed, but went easily enough, holding Rowan tightly to his chest. The darker man leaned into him, resting there slightly as he regarded the two witches before twisting away, heading for the door.

**Author's Note:**

> So this feels mildly incomplete to me, but I'm trapped (mentally) in another fandom, so hopefully it doesn't feel too forced. I hope it's okay - honestly; I love this story, this idea, and I'm trying so hard to do it justice. 
> 
> Reworking/editing/hitting word count goals all means that I'm going to try and get a new chapter up every other week. Next chapter should be up on March 19, then April 2, etc.


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